Engineering and Community Engagement, Certificate

Program Description

A certificate in Engineering and Community Engagement is proposed for students in the College of Engineering. This certificate is intended to acknowledge students who have gained proficiency in design, research and application of appropriate technologies for use in serving communities in the U.S. and abroad while stressing an awareness of the cultural context of such engineering activities. Collaborations with communities are strongly encouraged along with emphasis on the importance of ethical considerations in collaborating/working in community settings. All students in good academic standing are eligible for admission to the program.

What is Engineering and Community Engagement?

Engineering and Community Engagement focuses on combining design, research, and engineering principles to address needs of communities in the U.S. and abroad, all while stressing cultural awareness, sustainability, innovation, and teamwork.

You Might Like This Program If...

• You would like to partner with communities to make a difference.
• You would like to explore and implement solutions to real problems.
• You would like to lead design and build teams.
• You would like to broaden your perspectives by collaborating with community stakeholders.
• You would like to develop professional skills.

Program Requirements

To earn an undergraduate certificate in Engineering and Community Engagement, a minimum of 12 credits is required.

Core requirements for the certificate program include courses in both:

1. Community Engagement, and
2. U.S. and International Cultures.

These courses may be scheduled to satisfy general education requirements (GS/GH/US/IL) depending on the courses selected. Beyond that, students have various course options available to them to complete the 12-credit requirement for the certificate including project-based courses in:

1. design,
2. entrepreneurship, and
3. leadership.

Students will be strongly encouraged to meet with the program director to discuss and formulate their program of study in the certificate program.

Prerequisites Required.

Academic Advising

The objectives of the university’s academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee’s unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.

READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY

University Park

John Gershenson
Director of Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship and Teaching Professor
213R Hammond Building
University Park, PA 16802
gersh@psu.edu

Career Paths

Careers

Penn State students with a Certificate in Engineering and Community Engagement have been successful in establishing careers in a wide variety of engineering, research, and education fields.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES WITH A CERTIFICATE IN ENGINEERING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Opportunities for Graduate Studies

Students interested in advancing their Engineering and Community Engagement knowledge may be interested in the School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs' graduate offerings in Engineering Design or Engineering Leadership and Innovation Management or numerous other advanced engineering studies offered by the College of Engineering.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

Contact

University Park

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY, AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS
213 Hammond Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-2587
sedtappcourses@psu.edu

http://www.sedtapp.psu.edu